Parikrama Performs at XLRI

The True Mar Gods!

Paradox: an apparently true statement that leads to a contradiction or a situation which defies intuition.

Selling a predefined product/ service is a thing of the past. Marketers have been doing that; and they will continue doing so. But what do you do when you have to sell a paradox? How will you use a brand ambassador that is the complete opposite of what the product stands for? That was what the first stage of Concept2Creative, the event by the Marketing Association of XLRI (MAXI) at Ensemble 2008, asked the participants to do. Based on the creativity, marketing acumen and presentation of ideas, 6 teams were shortlisted. 1 more team was selected as a wild card entry through an online quiz at KitneBaje.com , one of the sponsors of the event. These teams then came to XLRI and fought it out for the grand prize and the title of The Mar Gods.

The final battle had two stages, which saw teams really put their creativity and marketing knowledge to test.

A manager has various tasks assigned to him in sales. A business development team designs the POP materials which attract the customers and result in impulse sales. This is a crucial component of sales. An efficient Business Development manager must know how to design an effective POP.

Teams were supplied with a brand name and product description. They were required to design POP material of any format telling possible customers about the product features and its benefits. These were put up in a MAXI stall on campus which was frequented by students who voted on their choice of Point-Of-Purchase materials.

Any role in business requires partnership with important stakeholders. Different fields of business call for different approaches for the same. A stockist is a key partner in distribution and among the main criteria for partnering are: Return on investment and 'bonding' between the organizations.
Each team had to pitch a product give to them to a major stockist through creative efforts, including skits, presentation and acts, all the while trying to convince the stockist why he should keep their product. Our major sponsor BIG FM was evaluating this round, with the Jharkhand station head as the prime judge.

With a prize money of Rs. 40,000/- and a participation of teams across India, C2C provided a fun-filled time among the serious PPTs going on in other events, all the while challenging the participants to forge ahead and become the true Mar-Gods! Team Want2Win from IIM Lucknow emerged the winner, with Team Swash from XLRI as the runners-up.

(- Sheeladitya Mohanty, Team MAXI)

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El Dorado Winners

The Dramatics & Cultural Association of XLRI (DRACULA) organized the quiz El Dorado in connection with Ensemble 2008 on the night of 25th January, 2008. True to Dracula tradition, the quiz was conducted at twelve in the night.

The quiz was conducted by the master quizmaster Pradeep Ramarathnam, an eminent member of the Bombay Quiz Club. It saw eager participation from business school students across the country, who had all come down specially for the event. Over a hundred students participated in teams of two. After the preliminary round, the number was whittled down to six teams – two home teams, two teams from IIM Calcutta, and one each from FMS and IMT Ghaziabad.

The quiz was on the infinite bounds format, although there was a buzzer round at the end. This proved pivotal, as one of the teams that had been lagging behind till then leapfrogged to near the front of the pack. The questions were general questions, though a healthy number were business-related.

It was a keenly contested event, but the final winners were the home team duo of Shrikant Narasimhan and Raghu Reddy. The duo is fast earning a reputation on the quizzing circuit, as are the runner-ups, the team of Arnav Sinha and Vijay Menon from IIM Calcutta. It was not just the two winners who walked away with prizes at the end of the night, however. There were a lot of audience prizes as well, from the sponsor GSK. These ranged from Parker Pens to health drinks.

War of Wits Indeed

One of the major events of Ensemble 2008 was “War of the Wits” - a Human Resources based competition which was a joint organization effort by Sapphire (Student’s Association for Personnel Management, Human Relations and Industrial Relations) and Fireax (Forum for Industrial Relations at XLRI). The event turned out to be a stimulating assortment of challenging situations bound together by the constraints of time, money and most importantly human resources. Participating teams were tested over six rounds on their knowledge of HR, planning, decision making, and negotiation skills in a dynamic environment. With XLRI enjoying its reputation as the premier B school for HR in the Asia Pacific Region, the event was designed to be the best HR event of the region.

Major interest was shown from students across all B schools across the country. However, only 5 teams made it to the final round, from MDI Gurgaon, XIM Bhubaneshwar, V G Somaiya, Kharagpur, and two teams from XLRI itself. Different events were judged by eminent professors from the field of law, organizational behavior, and human resources. The event was kicked off by Swati Jena, Secretary, Sapphire and AVIK Ghosh, Secretary, Fireax and began with the collective bargaining situation and the HR/IR quiz. The collective bargaining round was based on real life cases relating to compensation, individual disputes, and recruitment of workers in which each team had to negotiate, once as the management and once as the union. Following the collective bargaining and quiz round, teams were also tested through a diversity case study and a debate which focused on major issues in the field of human resources.

The final round was a simulated exercise in which teams had to recruit “worker” according to a pre decided budget for production of a certain “product”. Students of XLRI volunteered for the final round and made up categories of unskilled, skilled and contract workers. The round was based on real life and teams also experienced strikes and slow downs which caused loss in “production.”

The event was conducted in partnership with ITC, who also were the exclusive sponsor. The final results were based on the scores of each team in each round. At the end of almost six grilling hours, one of the teams from XLRI were adjudged the final winner, and were followed closely behind by the team from V G Somaiya. However, each of the events had individual prizes as well and therefore, each team earned a certain amount. The total prize money was around 80000 INR.

The event was a grand success which also enjoyed a high degree of audience participation. It contributed a long way in making Ensemble 2008 a grand success.

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Samarpan Results

Crescent, the Entrepreneurship Development Cell of XLRI, organized Samarpan, a business plan contest, as part of Ensemble 2008, the annual management fest of XLRI. The event was organized in association with Accenture, one of the top consulting and outsourcing organizations in the world. The competition focused on social upliftment as each plan was designed in order to improve living conditions of people living below the poverty line in rural India.

Major interest was shown in the event as various teams sent in plans during the preliminary stage of the event. However, only 5 teams were shortlisted, from V G Somaiya Management Institute at Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, Institute of Rural Management, Ahmedabad, and a startling three teams from XLRI, Jamshedpur itself. The plans showcased the innovative thinking and analytical skills of the students as well as their interest in undertaking a project which would not only have major social impact, but also made sound business and economical sense. The plans also targeted a diverse range of people and promoted various vocational sources of income such as sewing cooperatives for women, community radios for education and centres to improve farming techniques using latest technology like Global Positioning Systems, Global Information Systems, while also providing agricultural insurance and farming equipments. Adequate research was done by the team in the field as well as on the drawing boards before they decided on their final plans.

Judged by eminent academicians from the field of economics, strategic management and marketing, the team from Institute of Rural Management, Ahmedabad were judged the winners after almost three hours of presentations and questioning by all the teams. The winners walked away with a cool 45, 000 INR as prize money and also the opportunity to present their plan before venture capitalists, which would be facilitated by Crescent. Their plan centred around a novel strategy of targeting fishermen along India’s coastline, by training and facilitating them to use seaweed nets. This would provide these fishermen with a secondary source of income, while it would also be eco friendly and economical.

Exemplar Results

MAXI, the Marketing Association of XLRI, organized Exemplar, a marketing contest in partnership with Tata Teleservices as a part of Ensemble 2008. The event was all about launching a product in the market, devising a perfect marketing strategy, facing the worst possible situations and implementing the solutions. Held on the 26th of January, it requires participants to be ready with all their marketing skills and fundamentals, in a battle of wits and knowledge.

After a tough preliminary selection round, the final teams shortlisted were from IIM Bangalore, IIFT Delhi, IIM Lucknow, FMS Delhi and two teams from XLRI. The competition was based on a marketing plan for Tata Teleservices Value Added Services (VAS). Participants had to come up with a viable marketing strategy for the VAS offered by Tata Teleservices, and also suggest other services which could be offered. The competition was judged by Professor Sanjeev Varshney, a professor of the marketing area at XLRI.

The event was a grand success which garnered major interest from the student community. The participating teams came up with a variety of solutions that were novel and innovative in different ways. After a long grueling session of presentations and questioning by the judges, the team from IIFT Delhi was finally adjudged the winners. They won prize money of about 30000 INR. They were also closely followed by the team from XLRI, who won an amount of 20000 INR. The ideas and plans presented by the participating teams would be used by Tata Teleservices for the launch and positioning of their new VAS. It was in this regard that the event was organized and that the company took so much interest in Ensemble 2008.

Schedule of Events

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Prometheus - the Fin God

Prometheus, the search for the Finance God, was conducted by FINAX (The Finance Association of XLRI) and was exclusively sponsored by TATA STEEL as part of Ensemble 2008. The event involved three stages and was kicked off by an online quiz held across various b-schools. Over two hundred students participated in the first round, but only five teams shortlisted for the final battle to be the Fin God.

The teams were invited to XLRI and were evaluated across 3 rounds. One involved a case analysis on Mergers &Acquisitions; Another was the design of a derivative instrument and the third tested their technical analysis and portfolio management skills. The judges consisted of eminent personalities from various areas and included Mr. N K Mishra (Member of M&A department of TATA STEEL), Mr. Ajay Garg (Fund Manager of Birla Sunlife Insurance), and Prof H.K.Pradhan and Prof. Gaurav Vallabh, senior Professors from the Finance Department of XLRI. The First prize was jointly shared by the two teams from XLRI and IIM Lucknow.

The judges were very impressed with the logical justifications of their ideas and their ability to give convincing presentations. The learning value of the event was highly appreciated. The judges also had a short interaction with the students, wherein they explained some of the practical aspects of M&A. All the participating teams and judges walked out richer both in terms of experience as well as knowledge.

The First Edition of Discessio Imperators

Discessio Imperators- the flagship event of Ensemble 2008 was kicked off in style with seven teams from across the country participating in the multi-round finals. The event partner for the event was HSBC. The first round checked the ability of the teams to think on their feet and deliver solutions to real life problems within a short time. They were given five real life cases to solve in 15 minutes and they were to come up with a concise analysis. The case analysis was judged by eminent faculty members from XLRI- Prof. L. Gurunathan and Prof. Sumit Sarkar. This round saw teams presenting amazing analysis for the cases from diverse perspectives.

The caselets were just the start of a trail by fire for the finalists. They were next glutted with financial data for a fictitious company and they were asked to come up with the stock valuation for that company within two hours. Midway through the process all the interim valuations were displayed to each team so that they could refine their final value. The round gave the participants a grueling snapshot of an analyst’s life in an investment bank or private equity firm- jobs many of the participants aspire for. The final valuations of the participants were judged by the XLRI faculty members- Prof. Munish Thakur and Prof. Gaurav Vallabh. The participants shared their valuation methodology with the judges and received valuable feedback.

Only the top four teams- Invictus (XLRI) ,Vanishing Nerds ( IIM-C) ,Gladiators ( XIMB) and Team Xtreme (IIM-L) made it to the third and final round based on the cumulative scores of the first two rounds. The final round was a case study with a multi-functional perspective. It presented a case of a fictitious organisation with several issues spread across various functions. This was designed to test the all round management skills of the finalists. The case analysis was presented to a panel of judges comprising of – Prof. Rajesh Upadhyay and Prof. Sumit Sarkar.

After three grueling rounds and twenty four hours of extreme stress the team from XLRI- Invictus emerged as the winner followed by Vanishing Nerds (IIM-C) and TeamXtreme (IIM-L) sharing the runners up position on the podium. The success of the event could be gauged by the smiles on the faces of the event coordinators, participants and judges as they left the venue after the completion. The flagship event had truly lived up to the high expectations that all had of it.

(-Tarun Bahuguna, PM& IR 2006-08)

Accenture Consult Conundrum

HR events in XLRI have always created a buzz across the country everytime they are launched. Accenture Consult Conundrum was another such event which was the talk across B-schools from the day it was launched. The first round of the event, which consisted of a case study, received overwhelming response from B-Schools all over the country. Accenture, the event partner, conducted the evaluation for the first stage and selected six teams as the finalists.

The second round of the event tested the finalists right from the moment it started. Participants were given a case of a fictitious organization which listed certain issues the organisation was facing. Consultants from Accenture flew down to the campus to act as the client organisation team given in the case. The twist came when the consultants declared that they would be role playing characters sent by the client organisation and the teams would have to interview them for further information on the case and would finally have to sell their proposal to the team. In a show of exemplary acting skills the Accenture team played the role of the client team perfectly and assessed the client engagement skills of the participants. The team from Accenture consisted of – Mr. Himanshu Tambe, Mr. Jayesh Pandey, Ms. Geeta Rajgopal, Ms. Sheetal Mehra and Mr. Thiagrajan.


The finalists were then asked to prepare a presentation within a short span of 90 minutes. Then came the grueling presentation round and the finalists presented their proposal to the Accenture team still role playing as client team. Each team was grilled on minute details and was posed questions that consultants face regularly in their client interactions. After this round, each team was provided with a detailed feedback on each aspect of their presentation. The Acccenture team also provided tips to handle client interactions, and humour was one thing that wasn’t short in the feedback sessions. The team also handled general questions on handling consulting assignments.

As is with every competition there are winners for the day. In Consult Conundrum the winners were - Three Musketeers (XLRI) and NePlusUltra (XLRI) who walked away with handsome prize money of Rs. 50000 and Rs. 30000 respectively. To add to the joy of the winners, Accenture announced that the winning teams would be automatically shortlisted for the recruitment process.

(- Tarun Bahuguna, 2006-08)

Pratyancha Results Out!

"Pratyancha", the social diffusion strategy competition was conducted jointly by National Innovation Foundation (NIF) and SIGMA as part of XLRI's annual flagship event "Ensemble" today, 26th January 2008. Six finalist teams presented their diffusion plans for innovations from NIF like amphibious bicycle, natural water cooler, automatic design making machine, hand operated water pump, improved varieties of wheat, rice etc to a panel of distinguished judges which included Mr. Rajiv Pandey - Director, Social Upliftment Trust, Mr. Anshu Gupta - Founder, The Goonj, Ms Shubra Diwedi - Chief Executive, SEEDS, Dr. Santanu Gupta - Professor of Economics, XLRI and Mr. Amitabh Ghosh - Regional Head, Kalamandhir. The learning value derived from this unique competition was particularly appreciated by the participants and the judges. The event was won jointly by teams from XLRI and VGSOM - IIT Kharagpur.

Idea Summit

Idea Summit is a permanent feature of Ensemble and one of the first events among many. This year’s summit was sponsored by Aditya Birla Group and saw eminent personalities from various backgrounds coming to the campus to voice their opinion on the theme ‘Advantage India: Bird of Gold Spreads its Wings’. The panelists were Mr. Y.C.Nanda (Chairman, Agricultural Finance Corporation Ltd), Mr. S.J.S. Swamidoss, (Ex RBI Director), Mr. Anshu Gupta (Founder of Goonj and an Ashoka Fellow) and Mrs. Radha Mani (Founder and Executive Director, LEAD). The discussion was moderated by Prof. Tata L. Raghu Ram (Faculty, XLRI).

The discussion started with each of the panelists expressing their views on the topic. Mr. Nanda said that all the financial targets and milestones cannot be achieved without involving the farming community. He said that this aspect of the economy has not been paid adequate attention and it is only recently that due to the interest of the corporate sector things are looking up. He said that the trickle down effect which so far has not been seen is now a realistic possibility since the change is happening so close to the target segment.

Mr. Anshu Gupta took the social aspect of the topic and said that out of the three basic needs, clothing is not paid as much attention as the other two. He spoke of NGO’s and Governments’ misplaced priorities and the fault in their unilateral thinking. He said that his work which is in the area of clothing for poor is a replicable model and has the potential for scaling up.

Mr. Swamidoss talked of inclusive growth, involving financial, global and social growth. He spoke of the high dropout rate and suggested the use of the PPP in the education sector. He also advocated transparency and said the government should be more open and should share more with the public.

Mrs. Radha Mani the director of an NGO said that despite India being a tourism destination it is in those destinations that the population suffers the most. She said primary health is ignored, malnutrition is rampant, untouchability is still practiced and education is commodified. She said that dalits are still exploited and reservation has failed to benefit them.

The audience consisted of members of the faculty, students from b-schools across India and members of the media. The audience participated by questioning the speakers and expressing their views on the issue. The session was well moderated by Prof. Raghu Ram. The session did not end with a formal conclusion. The audience was seen interacting with the panelists even after the session.

(- Shadman Ahmad, PM& IR 2006-08)

Informal Events

Ensemble 2008 is the management fest of one of the best b-schools in India, but that doesn't mean that it has no fun and games involved! Dracula, the Dramatics and Cultural Association of XLRI, made sure of that. During the two days of Ensemble, the committee organized a mixture of quizzes, word games, puzzles and Dumb Charades.

The first event was Pot Pourri. The preliminary round, which had general knowledge questions as well as interesting word games, saw about fifteen teams, mostly from XLRI, participating. Six teams were shortlisted. The finals had several rounds - mostly word games and Dumb Charades. Those who are more into quizzing wouldn't have been disappointed, though. Solving the word games also required a healthy dose of general knowledge. In fact, one of the leading teams had a member from the duo that would later win El Dorado, the quiz.

The last couple of rounds were Dumb Charades-based - with a lot of added complications, of course. At the end of the formal quiz, two teams (Geeks and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly) were tied at first position. A tie-breaker round was added, and Team Geeks eventually emerged the winner.

Apart from Pot-Pourri, Dracula also organized a separate Dumb Charades event, with five rounds. Around twenty teams participated, and six were shortlisted after the preliminary round. They fought it out through rounds such as Rapid Fire and Blind Fold (the creators of the round claim that it was inspired by a scene from the movie Saw IV). Ankur Gupta and Arun Jonas John, two members of Team Geeks (which won Pot-pourri) seemed to have been on a roll, as they were also part of the team that won the Dumb Charades event.

Ensemble - A History

The idea for Ensemble first came up as far back as 2001, but it germinated only in 2005. The first Ensemble was a small affair, conducted on the JLT lawns on a shoestring budget. It had neither corporate partnership nor participants from other b-schools, but then, it is often of humble beginnings that great things flower.

The second edition of Ensemble, conducted in 2006, was on a whole new level. The student body, encouraged by the first edition, co-operated enthusiastically in making it a success. Even though the fest had only been conducted once before, corporates were eager to partner it, thanks to XLRI's tremendous brand name. Students from other b-schools also participated. XLRI's renowned hospitality and culture were acknowledged by one and all.

Ensemble 2007, with the theme 'India Unbounded - Tiger Unleashed', saw more than 200 participants from the top b-schools in India such as the IIM's and FMS, battle for top honours in games conducted across all business verticals. There was a wide spectrum of games, ranging from business games and case studies to paper writing contests and quizzes. The prize money amounted to around 7.5 lakh rupees, among the highest in the Indian b-school circuit. Companies such as Essar, Pepsi, the Aditya Birla Group, TATA Steel, etc partnered Ensemble 2007.

Ensemble 2008 promises to be an even better show. Centered around the theme 'Advantage India - The Bird of Gold Spreads Its Wings', the games are even more inventive this year. Apart from quizzes and business plan contests, there are events for Marketing enthusiasts and Finance wizards. Adventure lovers and wannabe consultants will also find something for them at XLRI over the next two days. The Aditya Birla Group is the principal partner of Ensemble 2008.

A major addition to Ensemble that has happened this year is the inauguration of Astarte, the cultural festival of XLRI. The major events of this year's edition are - Nukkad, a street play competition, and AnoreXia, a fashion show.

Ensemble 2008 - Inauguration

Ensemble 2008 was inaugurated at Father Prabhu Hall at 10:30 today morning. Father James Santhanam, Professor at XLRI, and Professor Pingali Venugopal, Dean (Academics), inaugurated the fest by lighting the sacred lamp. Sandeep Agarwal, General Secretary of the Student Affairs Council, represented the student body.

Later, giving the inaugural address, Father James spoke of the unique culture that XLRI had developed over the years. "We have a culture of excellence, a culture of integrity, a culture of pioneering vision," he said. XLRI had been established in 1949 with the motto of 'changing the face of the Earth', he said, and pointed out that XLRI had since then consistently been at the frontline of management education in India.

Next, Shiv Rohira, member of the Students Affairs Council (SAC), gave a short speech on the history of Ensemble.

Exemplar First Round Results

Team Ensemble and the Marketing Association at XLRI (MAXI) are pleased to announce the shortlisted teams for Exemplar!



Exemplar Shortlist (In no particular order):

Crossroads, IIMB
Strategists, IIFT Delhi
CSR, XLRI
The Masters, IIML
Pragya, FMS

Exemplar Waitlist (In order of merit):

1. Diptangshu, IIFT Kolkata
2. Insomniacs, FMS
3. Horizons, XLRI

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Concept-2-Creative Results

The Marketing Assocation of XLRI, in association with Big FM, is pleased to announce the shortlisted teams for Concept2Creative: The Battle of the True Mar Gods @ XLRI !

The teams were evaluated based on their creativity, marketing acumen and presentation of ideas. We tried our level best to select 5 entries, but we were unable to limit it to that. So, we have increased the number of teams for the final round by One. :)

The shortlisted teams (in no particular order) are as follows (Team, Member, Institute):

1 Mitra, Tarunesh, IIFT
2 Instant, Suchi, IMT
3 Swash, Prayrita, XLRI
4 Eyeball, Kashif, SPJIMR
5 Charlies Angels, Monikanika , XLRI
6 Want2Win, Prashant, IIML

Wild Card Entrant:

Team Bane Shrikant XLRI

Waitlisted teams (in order of merit) are as follows:

1. Las Vegas, Nirmal, IIML
2. Maverick Marketers, Pallav, IIFT Kolkata
3. Pragati, Lakshmi, SPJIMR


CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Discessio Imperators Stage II Results

Discessio Imperators declares the list for the shortlisted team for the final stage.

The top 8 Teams that qualified are as follows (In no particular order):



For the list of waitlisted teams, please visit the Ensemble 2008 site.

Accenture Consult Conundrum - Shortlist

SAPPHIRE, the Students Association for the Promotion of Personnel Management, Human Resources and Industrial Relations at XLRI, in association with Accenture, presents the results of the preliminary round of Consult Conundrum. The following teams are now one step closer to the exciting Campus round and the prizes worth Rs. 80, 000!

All the best!

Samarpan Stage I Results

Samarpan declares the list for the shortlisted team for the final stage.

The top 7 entries that qualified are as follows (In no particular order) :
(Team Name, Institute)

1. Srijan, FMS
2. Radio deep, XLRI
3. Rural Mobile Medical Services (Vaikunt), IIMB
4. Team Precision, MICA
5. Milap, IIML
6. Krishi Utthan, XLRI
7. Nebula Group, IRMA

The 3 waitlisted entries (in order of preference) are as follows:

1. Team Saarthi, IIML
2. Yashwini, VGSOM
3. Project Swayam, XLRI

We would like to thank all the teams for their enthusiastic participation.

The final B-Plan presentation will be held during Ensemble 2008 (25th or 26th January). All the short-listed teams will be contacted individually.

Pratyancha Shortlists

SIGMA, in association with the National Innovation Foundation, declares the list for the shortlisted team for the final stage of Pratyancha - the social diffusion strategy competition.

The top 8 entries that qualified are as follows (In no particular order)



Congratulations!! The shortlisted teams will present their diffusion plans at the XLRI campus on the 26th of January. The winners, chosen on the basis of the presentation made and the detailed diffusion plan submitted, will get a prize of Rs. 25, 000, while runnerups will get Rs. 15, 000. In addition, all short listed teams will be provided a participation certificate. Also, based on the panel’s evaluation of the strategy proposed, they will be given an opportunity to assist as consultants in the execution of the proposed diffusion strategy. Funding may also be provided for the project through MVIF.

Parikrama to Perform at Ensemble 2008!

Parikrama, one of the best rock bands in the country, has agreed to be a part of Ensemble 2008! They will be performing at the XLRI grounds on the evening of the 26th of January from 8:15 onwards.

Parikrama, a New Delhi-based band formed in 1991, has performed more than one thousand concerts across the length and breadth of India. They are a rock and roll band famous for infusing their music with the sounds of Indian instruments such as the mridangam and the tabla. Having performed in numerous competitions both in India and abroad, they attained international fame in March 2007 when they opened for Iron Maiden when the latter performed in Bangalore. Iron Maiden's Manager Rod Smallwood said of the band, "We were completely blown away.. ..by the quality of PARIKRAMA. I just didn't realise there were metal/rock bands of this quality in India. I was so impressed by their playing and attitude and professionalism and all of the Iron Maiden band and crew watched and listened to their entire set backstage." Subsequently, they performed at the Download Festival in Donington in June 2007 at the special request of Iron Maiden.

XLRI's very own band, BodhiTree, famous for such cult songs as 'XL Ki Kudiya' and 'GMD' will be opening for Parikrama, as will the Kolkata-based band Span.

Xplore Round I Results

The first round of the Xplore maze was XPlored - a keenly-contested quiz that lasted three days. The first six correct entries won cheques worth Rs. 500 each day. Congratulations to all the winners!



On the basis of the entries of the first round (total number correct entries, in least possible time), the finalists for the next round are chosen.

They are –



Congratulations! You get to come down to the XLRI campus and fight it out during ABG Ensemble 2008 for prizes totalling Rs. 15, 000!

Quest Adventura Stage I Results

The XLRI Adventure and Nature Club declares the list for the final showdown for Quest Adventura! Out of a total of 78 teams that participated in this event, the top 6 entries that qualified are as follows (In alphabetical order):

• Eureka – SIBM
• Mavericks - XLRI
• Last Alliance – IMT Ghaziabad
• The Juggernaut - MDI
• Trivial Pursuit – IIFT K
• Zephyr – IIT KGP

Congratulations! And all the best for the gruelling two days to come - you will need it!

The waitlisted entries are as follows:
1. Eyeball – SP Jain
2. Swash Bucklers - FMS
3. XL Rodeos - XLRI
4. MDI (Arpit Vishwakarma, Vivek Rathi, Anand Trivedi)
5. Eureka - SIBM
6. Mazeltov – IIT KGP
7. The Greata’s – IIFT K
8. File Not Found – XLRI

We thank all people for their enthusiastic participation in the adventure and nature trail. The final game will be played during Ensemble 2008 (25th and 26th January).

ITC War of Wits - Preliminary Round Results

War of Wits declares the results for the preliminary round. The shortlist is in no particular order, but the waitlist is in order of merit. The five teams will now fight it out through five rounds of HR based games - for a total prize money of Rs. 80, 000!


Shortlist:

1. The Masters – IIM Lucknow
2. Corporate Strike – MDI Gurgaon
3. Prime Movers – XIMB
4. Ashwamedha – VGSOM
5. Pickles – XLRI

Waitlist:

1. FRAXers – XLRI
2. Konquerors – IIM K
3. Mavericks - XLRI

War of Wits

XLRI's Personnel Management and Industrial Relations course is renowned as the best Human Resources course in the Asia-Pacific. Thus, it is no surprise that the event jointly organized by the Forum for Industrial Relations @ XLRI (FIRE@X) and the Student Association for the Promotion of Personal Management, Human Resources and Industrial Relations (SAPPHIRE) with support from ITC promises to be one of the best HR events in the region. And with prize money to the tune of one lakh Rupees up for grabs, there will be no lack of participants.

War of Wits is a stimulating assortment of challenging situations bound together by the constraints of time, money and most importantly, human resource. Teams of five will battle it out making decisions in tough situations. The event will constantly test the participants on their knowledge of HR, planning, decision making, and negotiation skills in a dynamic environment.

The situations include a case study requiring decisions on various HR aspects, a business quiz, Block and Tackle (debate), a simulated consultancy assignment, a fact finding exercise and a collective bargaining situation.

El Dorado

El Dorado is a legend that began with the story of a South American tribal chief who covered himself with gold dust and dived into a lake of pure mountain water.

Team Ensemble, in association with DRACULA (Dramatics and Cultural Association at XLRI), invites you to indulge in the extravaganza of knowledge in its purest form. Experience the pressure of a ticking clock, the adrenaline rush in recovering a hidden ember of knowledge from the depths, the pure ecstasy of deductive logic, the sublime bliss in cracking a tough nut, the pride in asserting your presence in quizzing circles. Test your mettle against the best brains in the country, with the scintillating presence of quizmaster Pradeep Ramarathnam.

This event promises to be exciting – watch out for the clenched fists, thumps, groans and cries of victory! Be there!

Discessio Imperators

In times like the present when change is the norm, rather than the exception, in business, managers need to possess razor-sharp thinking and decision-making acumen. The ones who succeed will be those who can adapt to the needs of the situation rather than those who work with set paradigms in mind. Managers lend structure to ambiguity; create order out of chaos. The Empire of Management will belong to those who learn to “Expect the Unexpected”. Discessio Imperators seeks to find such Managers – wherever such are still to be found. The Flagship Game of Ensemble is going to take you by storm with prizes worth Rs.1,00,000 up for grabs!!

The bugle has sounded. Saddle up, and get ready for WAR!!!

Quest Adventura

Quest Adventura is designed to bring out the leader in you, to take bold & wise decisions in the face of extremities, to exploit your team’s capabilities, to outmaneuver competitors & to ensure that your team takes the coveted prize. It is based on the philosophy that physical challenges & uncharted territories unmask people & reveal their true potential as a leader & a team person. The game challenges your Brain, that you have always prided upon; your Brawn, that you have painstakingly built; your team spirit, that you always brag about & above all the leader that you have always dreamt to be.

Quest Adventura is a high adrenaline game that tests participants on a variety of parameters including general awareness, analytical skills, endurance, team spirit, strategy building & above all the ability to keep your cool under the storm. The game is spread over two days and includes activities such as Obstacles, Improvised Rafting, Wall Climbing, Puzzles, Treasure Hunt, etc.

Pratyancha

The Social Initiative Group for Managerial Assistance (SIGMA), together with the National Innovation Foundation, present Pratyancha, the social diffusion strategy competition.


Pratyancha is a unique competition for those interested in social entrepreneurship. A set of current socially relevant projects that require social diffusion strategy will be provided by NIF in the form of case studies. The registered teams will have to collaborate with the project mentors and arrive at a diffusion plan for the projects. The selected teams will then make a presentation at Ensemble 2008.

Prometheus

The time has arrived to find the Prometheus: The Wisest Titan, the rebel visionary, the greatest friend that mankind ever had.

Team Ensemble and FINAX (Finance Association @ XLRI), in association with TATA STEEL, present to you “The Prometheus” – The Fin God. To win this battle of supremacy, you have to prove mettle in number crunching and in out-thinking others when it comes to innovativeness and financial acumen.

The first round for selecting the credible minds will be in the form of a QUIZ. The top eight teams shall be invited for the final war at the XLRI campus. The war will see the warriors slaughter each other in three battles - one each of Mergers and Acquisitions, Technical Analysis and Designing an Exotic Derivative Instrument.

Samarpan

I,
Do solemnly swear
to love, honor and obey my soul,
my path to realization and
relationship with a higher,
deeper creative power,
for better or worse,
for richer or poorer,
in sickness and in health,
from now and forever more.
-Alex Grey

With the aim of planting this solemn oath towards our own and the world’s transformation in the hearts of the future managers of the country, the Committee for Research, Strategy, Consulting and Entrepreneurship (CRESCENT) at XLRI in association with the XLRI Alumni Social Entrepreneurship Trust & the Entrepreneurship Development Cell of XLRI present SAMARPAN – the social offering.

We invite the participants to amalgamate their analytical skills along with their feelings of compassion and to develop a sustainable plan that would reach out to the masses, especially the underprivileged and the destitute sections of society, to assure them that hope still remains the foremost virtue of human nature.

If you think that your idea can bring Hope, then we, at the Entrepreneurship Development Cell of XLRI, would like to help the best idea see the light of the day. Teams of three will be shortlisted based on an executive summary. They will then submit their b-plans in Phase Two of the game, and then make a final presentation at the XLRI campus during Ensemble 2008.

Xplore

The search for knowledge knows no dimension and boundaries. The desire to excel challenges the accepted facts and paradigms to un-rattle the mysteries that lie beneath. The journey to this begins with this step from home. Pick up the hints on the way to reach the ultimate treasure of knowledge. Xplore the mysteries.

Xplore will have two rounds. The preliminary round will be in the form of a "treasure hunt" - a puzzle solving event with multiple levels. The six shortlisted teams will then come to the XLRI campus for the next round, consisting of a pot pourri of events such as word games and games of logic.

Consult Conundrum

con·sult·ant [kuh n-suhl-tnt] (noun):
1. a person who gives professional or expert advice on business methods.
2. a person who consults someone or something.

co·nun·drum [kə-nŭn'drəm] (noun):
1. A riddle in which a fanciful question is answered by a pun.
2. A paradoxical, insoluble, or difficult problem; a dilemma:


The Society for Promotion of Personnel Management and Human Resources and Industrial Relations (SAPPHIRE), in association with Accenture, presents The Consult Conundrum, a unique, real life -inspired, challenging game designed to test the consulting acumen of the participants. The participating teams will get a chance to test and hone their consulting skills. The teams will be pitted against each other in a client engagement simulation.

Participants will be challenged to think on the various aspects of problem identification, defining the problem and arriving at a solution, keeping in mind the client’s requirements and data access limitations. In other words, they will endeavor to partner with a client

Having been in the forefront of the consulting arena globally, Accenture brings to you an amazing opportunity to pick up valuable consulting skills from some of the best minds in consulting and prepare oneself for an exciting career ahead.

The game has been designed in three stages. In the preliminary round, a case study will be provided, and teams for the next round will be shortlisted based on the case analysis submitted. In the second stage of Mentor Interaction, the teams will be provided with an opportunity to interact with a mentor from Accenture who would provide the teams with valuable inputs and feedback on consulting skills, client engagement techniques and presentation skills. The campus round will consist of three time bound stages, aimed at determining, individually and collectively, the various skills required to be successful as a consultant. As a finale the teams will be required to make the proposal presentation to senior Accenture consultants acting as clients.

Concept-2-Creative

Everything begins with a concept - a germ of an idea that unfolds into a masterpiece. From the Concept to the Creation lies a journey that will challenge you to the limits. And when the dust settles, will emerge the “First Among Equals”.

The Marketing Association@XLRI (MAXI), in association with Big FM, brings to you Concept-2-Creative! An event that will test your marketing skills to the max, a place where the very best fight it out to prove their worth.. Find the connections in contradictions, the rationale of impulse and your voice in the crowd. Ensemble. Relish. Be Heard. Do you have it in you to be the best there is?

There will be one elimination round and two selection rounds. The various rounds will test almost everything - conceptualization, brand building, advertising, promotion creating, and persuading skills! In short, you have to be the Best to get through this maze! It is your chance to be the true Marketing God.

Honestly, we cannot assure you things like Glory, Enlightenment or World Peace, but we do promise you Excitement, Adrenalin Rush and most of all – a LOT of Fun!!!

Exemplar

'Marketing' rings a bell when it comes to the present day corporate world. It’s very much the 'in' thing. Which is why it is the primary focus of our popular event Exemplar. Exemplar is an event that is all about launching a product in the market - devising the perfect marketing strategy, facing the worst possible situations and implementing the solutions. In other words, it's all about the marketing of a product in a dynamic environment. So we call upon all those who have it in them - muster up your courage, your creativity, your outlook, your presence of mind, your endurance and be ready for Exemplar.

The event will be held in two stages to get the best marketing implementation plan from the participants for VAS of Tata TeleServices Ltd. The winners will walk away with prizes worth Rs50,000/-.

The Battle Begins

It is the peak of January and the victory of winter is complete but among the smoldering cauldrons of steel a subtle battle is brewing. It’s the Carneian festival of the tribes following the religion called management, but combat is not just permitted, it’s imperative. The weapons are billions of grey cells churning out plans, strategies, seminal writings, negotiation tactics and even street smartness. The arena is all set for an ENSEMBLE of the young knights of management, to slug it out and emerge as the nonpareil warrior. The battleground is one of the oldest hearths preparing knights trained in this breed of warfare- XLRI, Jamshedpur. On the patio, overlooking the battle would be the high priests of management, the battle hardened warriors of the yore; sharing their wisdom and separating the Jedi warriors from the rest. And the war ends with a celebration of triumph- a night filled with music and dance. Will that be the celebration of your perseverance and triumph? It may very well be…..so whet the weapons of annihilation…..mercy can wait for tomorrow….

Welcome to Glory….Welcome to Grandeur……..Welcome to ENSEMBLE 2008....

Prometheus Final Shortlist

Finax, the Finance Association of XLRI, declares the shortlist for Prometheus - The Fin God. We thank all the participants in showing keen interest in our event.

The following teams makes to the final round of the event.



CONGRATULATIONS!